Bhubaneswar: At least 14 new flights, including three international, have been planned to/from Odisha at the high level meeting on ‘Enhancing Air Connectivity for Odisha’ here.
At least 15 Airlines and five Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) attended the meeting along with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera, Chief Secretary Chief Asit Tripathy, Union Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola, AAI Chairman Arvind Singh and Civil Aviation Joint Secretary Usha Padhee.
Most of the planned flights were scheduled to operate between January and summer 2020. The planned destinations are Kolkata-Jharsuguda, Bhubaneswar-Varanasi, Varanasi-Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda-Mumbai, Prayagraj-Bhubaneswar, Delhi-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Bhubaneswar-Kalaikunda, Bhubaneswar-Bangkok, Bangkok- Bhubaneswar, Singapore-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Abu Dhabi.
Highlighted Odisha’s growth story, it’s techno-savvy diaspora, economic growth and globe-trotting middle class, Chief Minister Patnaik impressed upon operators and the Central Government to introduce new domestic and international flights to enhance connectivity from the State.
“There is a sizeable tech-savvy diaspora in US, Middle East, Australia and SE Asia with growing demand for Skilled-In-Odisha professionals. Introduction of international flights will also provide convenience and comfort to the growing globetrotting middle class,” said the Chief Minister.
Patnaik also urged Ministry of Civil Aviation to introduce new connectivity from Odisha to destinations like Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Ranchi while highlighting demand for international hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Colombo.
